Chapter 1

Race Through Space written by Theanne Griffith illustrated by Reggie Brown

1 Sluuuuuuuuuuuuuuurp! Pablo sucked an imaginary string of pasta through his lips. "No way!" said Violet with squinted eyes. She tucked a few stray kinks of hair behind her ears and crossed her arms. "That's impossible." "I promise! That's what happens if you get too close to a black hole," replied Pablo. "I read all

about it. You get stretched like a looooooooooong piece of spaghetti." "Well…I'm glad there aren't any black holes close to Earth," said Violet. "I can't become a scientist if I get turned into a noodle first." The two best friends giggled. They sat cross legged in the center of the Newburg Meadow with tall grass and scattered flowers fluttering in the wind around them. The field was dotted with Newburg Elementary students and their families. This month's field trip was outdoors, and everyone was waiting for the sun to go down. Tonight, they were going to watch one of the largest meteor showers ever recorded in Newburg history!

"Did you know a meteor shower happens when lots of tiny bits of space rock come close to Earth and burn up?" asked Pablo in one long breath. "Sometimes people call them shooting stars. But they're not even stars!" Pablo could hardly contain his excitement.

"Yes, you told me yesterday. And the day before that." Violet laughed. Pablo and Violet had been best friends since Pablo moved from Puerto Rico to Newburg in first grade. They'd play soccer together in the park after school or share a delicious pickle on their walk home. But this week, Pablo had spent all his free time in the library reading about meteors and other space objects. Both Pablo and Violet loved learning about science. But space was Pablo's

favorite. And he wanted to make sure he remembered everything for tonight's field trip. Pablo's mom called from across the meadow. "It's almost time!" She held her watch in the air and tapped it. "Only fifteen more minutes until sunset." Violet's dad was standing next to Pablo's mom. He gave Pablo and Violet two thumbs-up. Pablo tilted his head back and looked at the deep-purple-and-pink sky. One day he was going to watch a meteor shower from the window of his very own spaceship. That had been his dream ever since he could remember, even though some of his